Sunday 12 September 2010

NEW FEATURE: Coverlicous- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Designs


Coverlicious is a new feature that I am holding here, where I am going to do spotlights on different things to do with covers from photos of cover art from different editions of  book and trends in cover art to comparing US and UK versions of a cover or simply just posting about a cover that I have fallen in love with. I'm intending just to feature Coverlicious posts here but if you would like to join in or do a guest Coverlicious post, please see my contact page.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

As I have mentioned previously, I am currently reading Pride and Prejudice (it is taking me a very long time to read because of  a lot of schoolwork at the beginning of term.) Published in 1813,' romance that started them' all has subsequently been published in many different editions and with different cover art. 

This is the edition that I am reading (by Penguin):


I love the simplicity yet lovely elegance of this design that is very classic and I also like the fact that the art is drawn. A pretty cover!

Here are a selection:


 These covers are very classic and iconic for Pride and Prejudice but
I think that they are not very appealing to new Jane Austen readers
or teenagers/young adults.



                                           



I love the right hand cover above because of the beautiful photo which is arranged really well to portray emotion without having to display much of the character's face. The colours blend in so well together and it has a classical yet a more 'modern' (at the same time as retaining period features) feel to it.



The right hand cover above is very different and unique and stands out among all the other covers I have featured. It is very quirky but you can definitely see how the character's story has been incorporated into it. It's not for me but it's a great cover to add to the mix.

The middle cover above was created with inspiration from the Twilight series cover art, as can be seen by the design. I understand that this was done to entice younger readers like myself to read classics like Pride and Predjudice (several other classics had covers made like this too.) I like how the red and white roses have a symbolic meaning of the opposite personalities of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy.I've heard of some controversey over them but I think that if it works and introduces teenagers to the books whereas they might not have read them before, then it is a fantastic idea.



The right hand cover is very colourful, simplistic and bold compared to the other covers. It is aimed at younger readers too, hence the name of Meg Cabot (author of the introduction of the book),  a well known writer for young teenage girls. I think that this cover would appeal more to under 12s more than teenagers and not many under 12s would be able to read Pride and Prejudice or understand it.

I love the middle cover, the soft pink and peach tones make it so lovely and the dress gives you an idea of the time period. I think it is a particularly good design for teenagers and young adults as well as all other ages.

The left hand side cover is my favourite, fairly simple but BEAUTIFUL. The colours that are used compliment eachother really well and give the cover a 'girly', fresh, light and summery feel to it.

My favourite is:


Which is your favourite and what do you think of all the different cover designs?

4 comments:

  1. I am also reading P&P and liking it so far, though it seems so fluffy with talk of going to society balls & finding husbands :oD

    I recently gushed over my P&P cover. Check it out here. There are so many lovely ones. The Twilight-inspired one makes it look like a darker-themed novel. I love the dainty, flowery, Monet-like ones! Thanks for sharing :o)

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  2. I love the Red Penguin one - I have a few books with that cover (although not P&P) and they just look so great on the bookshelf.

    The only ones I don't really like are film cover tie-ins, but then I'm not a fan of those in general.

    Sam

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  3. There are some great covers and I really like this feature. I agree with you, I love the one you picked! My husband reads a lot of classics and he likes the gold spine ones, but I might have to find this cover of P&P for myself!

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  4. Wow, thanks for showing so many P&P covers in one place! I do like the one you picked as your favorite, although the one with the white dress and pink sofa is also gorgeous. And for some reason I also like the one with the girl in the yellow dress leaning on the sundial or whatever it is - it's simple but I like the old-fashioned look of it :)

    Anyway, I've passed on an award to you! See my blog for more info. Congrats!

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Stephanie x